Saturday 24 October 2015 13:10, UK
Young New Zealander Lydia Ko has powered into a four-shot lead at the LPGA Taiwan Championship, following a five-under-par third round of 67.
The 18-year-old could potentially regain the top spot in the world rankings from Inbee Park if she finishes first or second this week, and she has put herself in a fine position to triumph at Miramar and claim the 10th LPGA Tour title of her career.
Despite windy conditions and a rain-soaked course, Ko had four birdies in one five-hole stretch and then closed with another birdie to reach 13 under par.
South Korea's Eun-Hee Ji, who was a stroke ahead after each of the first two rounds, is now four shots back in second after a 72 while England's Charley Hull is another shot behind after a 71.
Ko, who won the Evian Championship in France last month to become the youngest major champion, played the front nine in even par, making three birdies, a double bogey and a bogey, to fall two strokes behind Hull and one behind Ji.
However, Ko tied for the lead with a 20-foot birdie chip on the par-four 11th and pulled two strokes ahead with a nine-foot birdie putt on the par-five 12th.
She then made a 14-footer from the fringe on the par-three 14th and a 12-footer on the par-four 15th to push her advantage to four shots.
She finished off by matching Ji with a birdie on the par-five 18th, holing an eight-foot putt after reaching the fringe in two and hitting a flop shot over a hump and past the hole.
Hull dropped back with a triple bogey on the par-four 10th when her drive sailed to the right and bounced out of bounds while Ji bogeyed 12 and missed a four-foot birdie putt on 13.
South Korea's So Yeon Ryu is fourth at seven-under after a 70. Scotland's Catriona Matthew (68) has reached six-under, and Norway's Suzann Pettersen (71), Sweden's Anna Nordqvist (71) and China's Xi Yu Lin (74) are all at five-under.
Ko told the LPGA website: "On this course, anything can happen.
"It's hard to say, 'hey, I've got the trophy today'. I've still got to play a lot of good golf tomorrow. There's still 18 holes to go."
